Hot Hot Hot

It's been a hot couple of days (I'm not complaining.....I remember all too well the 6 LONG months of winter we had, and I will take 90 degrees and humid over winter any day), and we've been having fun outside. H&G love to splash in any water, and have figured out it's funny to get mom all wet! Abby is enjoying her Movie Art Camp. It's a small group, only 6 kids (and 2 are the instructors kids!), and Abby is the youngest. She says it's fun - they watch a portion of a movie and then do art based upon the movie. I'm glad she likes these little camps, but I am running out of ideas of what to do with all the art she is bringing home! She needs her own little studio to display her work :-)

Our sunflowers are starting to bloom - I'm hoping we have flowers within the next couple of weeks. They seem to grow numerous inches over night. They tower over me (and Abby!), and probably have another foot or so to grow.

Big Girl and our Artist

Hannah has officially transitioned to a big girl bed. She has had trouble sleeping at night ever since we got back from vacation. I called the doctor, and she thought that it sounded like she wanted to get out of the crib and into a big bed. The doctor suggested this BEFORE I ever mentioned that while we were on vacation she sleep in a big bed without any problem. So......she is now in the big bed in her room and loving it. She looks awfully small in her queen sized bed (!), but I know she'll grow into it. And now I can't wait to decorate.......I have all sorts of "big girl" ideas floating around in my head :-)Griff is so NOT ready for a big bed, and is quite happy in his crib, so he'll be staying there for awhile. He has however, taken a liking to painting, although he seems to like painting his face more than the paper.....Abby is anxiously counting down the days to her birthday. We are having a little carnival themed party, and we've been coming up with different games we can play. She's come up with some good ones, but I had to veto the dunk tank.....that she wanted Mike to sit in :-) She will be going to Movie Art Camp this week, and then that is it for the camps this summer. I can't believe it will be August later this week. Where has the summer gone??? (I'm not sure what this pose is all about. I asked to take her picture, and this is what I got.....5 going on 15)

The Zoo!

I took the kids to the zoo the other other, with one of our neighbors. Abby had the most fun in the little amusement park at the zoo, and Hannah and Griff LOVED the gorillas. The picture of them standing at the window are in the gorilla house. Enjoy!

Griff's "Ooohhh" Face

Anyone who has spent any time with Griff knows he has an "ooohhh" face, as in:

"ooohhh CAR" (shouting the word in all caps.....)

"ooohhh BOAT"

"ooohhh TRACTOR"

"ooohhh TRAIN"

"ooohhh AIRPLANE"

"ooohhh BIRD"

And in this case, "ooohhh ROLLERCOASTER":

The North Woods

Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my......

We got back from the Wisconsin north woods this weekend. We spent a week in Minocqua, Wisconsin and had a blast. Mike's parents met us up there for four days, and the kids loved having them there. All the kids loved being "out in the woods", and kept asking when we would see some bears. Luckily, we didn't see any bears, but the ducks, fish and eagles seemed to fascinate them just as much. I took a TON of pictures (still trying to get that perfect shot of the kids!), and below are only a few of my favorites. I'll post more later....right now I have to finish watching Nashville Star :-) Enjoy!
(and yes, Hannah wore her life jacket most of this day. she wouldn't remove it for the picture. strong personality, this one has......)

Princess Ballerina

Abby finished Princess Ballerina camp today ... and she LOVED it. She's been asking to take ballet for awhile now, and I've been putting her off. From the brief conversations I've had with other moms whose kids are in ballet, most of the schools seem very competitive, intense and expensive. I didn't want to sign her up for months of ballet to only find out she really doesn't like it. So.....I thought this camp would be a good introduction for her. Right away, I loved the instructors and the owners of the school. They emphasize respecting each other and the instructors, listening and having fun. I told Abby if she wants to enroll at this school in the fall, she can (you have to enroll for the entire school year....strange, no?). She gave me a resounding YES!

Below are pictures from today. She made a little friend named Grace, and they were connected at the hip all week. Oh, and pics of H&G at the park outside the building where Abby's class was....they loved playing there this week, too :-)